Perhaps you’ve heard that there is a shortage of lemons and limes in the US.

The average U.S. grocery store now commands 53 cents per lime, up from 21 cents this time last year. The problem originates in Mexico, which now exports more than 90 percent of American’s limes.

May I offer a solution?

Stop demanding that wedges of lemons and lime be placed on your glass of soda at restaurants.

There was a time, not too long ago, when the vast majority of sodas in the world were served without a citrus garnish, and everyone was perfectly happy with their beverage.

Then one day, for reasons probably lost to antiquity, servers began delivering sodas with lemons and limes hanging off the edge of the glass, and suddenly it became a requirement.

For the vast majority of Americans, lemons and limes aren’t exactly locally grown, so eliminating them from your beverage will not only help in solving the lemon and lime shortage, but it will be helpful to the environment, too.

And let’s face it:

It’s a little pretentious to require a lemon wedge on the edge of your glass every time you drink a Coke.

Why not just go back to a simpler time when lemon and lime garnishments were not an expectation?